The chairman of the National Book Council, Mark Camilleri, has denied allegations by his predecessor- who has the same name- that the council is discriminating against his publishing house.

On Sunday afternoon, the author of Ġaħan Fl-Aqwa Żmien said the council was trying to “bury my business” by providing competitors with resources and supporting them directly.

Camilleri runs an independent publishing house, Dar Camilleri, which was launched in 2021.

He said Dar Camilleri will not participate in the annual Malta Book Festival, which will take place later in October but will hold its own series of book events on the same days.

Dar Camilleri, he said, will also seek legal options to claim material damages from the council.

In a reply to questions, the current head of the council told Times of Malta that the council offers the same and equal opportunities for all stakeholders.

“The National Book Council categorically denies all allegations made by Dar Camilleri and will continue to offer the same and equal opportunities to all stakeholders in the industry where funds, initiatives, participation locally and abroad, in festivals and book fairs, are concerned,” he said.

His predecessor also said the current chairman has no experience in the industry and lacked competence. He called for him to resign with “immediate effect”.

The head of the council said he had nothing further to add.

This was not the first time the former head attacked his namesake. Back in 2021 Camilleri argued that he was being denied a lifetime achievement award since the then-newly appointed council was full of Labour Party loyalists. 

Back then he said his successor was not allowing his then-upcoming novel to be featured on the council website due to "allegations" it contained. 

The former chairman's name has been in the papers in recent weeks after  he published transcripts of more than 2,200 WhatsApp messages between Rosianne Cutajar and businessman Yorgen Fenech. The messages showed that the two were intimate and on very close terms. 

He is currently living outside Malta and the police have been ordered to take criminal action against him for publishing the messages in defiance of a court order.

Camilleri is also the author of “A Rent Seeker’s Paradise”, which stirred controversy when it went on sale in 2021. The book criticises the Labour government and its links to corruption and bad governance. 

In the same publication Camilleri claimed that Cutajar had an affair with Fenech to boost her political career and that she received "corrupt money" from him. 

Cutajar is suing Camilleri for the claims.

Weeks following the publication of the chats and controversy, Cutajar resigned as a government MP earlier this month.  She retains her parliamentary seat as an independent.

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